Corporate governance - Vigil

Sinch, a cloud software company that helps companies connect with customers online, struck a $1.9 billion deal to acquire the U.S.’s Pathwire

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell told lawmakers Thursday that the central bank still expects a recent spell of high inflation to reverse but said it was difficult to pinpoint when that might happen.

GlaxoSmithKline has ended its collaboration with Germany’s Merck KGaA’s cancer treatment bintrafusp alfa, after a trio of failed clinical trials.

Given the disappointments the decision to part ways on the programme comes as no surprise, but is nevertheless a setback for GSK which had looked to the drug to revitalise its flagging oncology business.

Zoom Video Communications Inc.’s nearly $15 billion bid to acquire contact center company Five9 Inc. was shot down Thursday, dashing a major expansion plan for a video-conferencing powerhouse that has battled scrutiny over its perceived ties to China.

Supply chain disruptions sweeping major economies have reawakened an old nemesis for investors: stagflation.

Anxiety over rising inflation has been ever-present in markets this year. But with oil topping $80 a barrel, global food prices a third more expensive than they were a year ago and other commodities at decade highs, investors say a longer-than-expected inflationary surge is coinciding with a slowdown in growth — and making it worse.

It’s estimated that, in Canada, at the current rate of change, it will take until at least 2097 to achieve gender parity in the boardroom.

The private equity groups Blackstone, Carlyle and Hellman & Friedman are set to raise almost $15bn of debt on Thursday across bond and loan markets as they close in on financing the largest leveraged buyout since the 2008 financial crisis.

The hefty debt issuance will go towards the buyout groups’ $34bn acquisition of a majority stake in family-owned Medline, one of the largest medical supply manufacturers in the US.

Hedge fund Elliott Management has built a sizeable stake in Japanese conglomerate Toshiba, according to people with direct knowledge of the matter, adding to what people close to the company described as a “wolf pack” of shareholder activists.

Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group faces a showdown with shareholders on Wednesday as it seeks approval of a £100m bonus scheme for its incoming chief executive, Michael Murray, and a cash bonus for its finance director despite having accepted millions of pounds in government support.

The chief financial officer of Rogers Communications Inc. is leaving the company as the Toronto-based telecom continues to seek regulatory approval of its planned takeover of Shaw Communications Inc.

The year 2020 brought many dark clouds, but one silver lining was the broad recognition that America must address its challenges on racial and gender equity. In particular, the need for a renewed commitment to economic inclusiveness is now widely acknowledged as critical to the country’s future. While the road to achieving a more inclusive economy will not be easy, the U.S. economy will benefit tremendously in the years ahead from a more racially and gender-diverse workforce, including from the skills, experiences, and creativity of diverse leadership.

Artificial intelligence (AI) affects the lives of billions of people, rapidly transforming our society and challenging what it means to be human. Some think AI is just a buzzword, but it’s powerful enough to enable solutions in every sector, from personal digital assistants to fraud and failure prediction, self and assisted driving, and health diagnostics. AI can help personalize education and tutoring, create new jobs and assist in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath.

Will the U.S. run out of gas this winter?

The answer is almost certainly “no,” but the rest of the world might not be so fortunate. Now that the U.S. has become a major liquefied natural gas exporter, it can play a big role in making sure other countries have enough. Or it can keep some of that gas at home if domestic natural gas prices, already at their highest since the 2014 polar vortex, spike further.

Videogame maker Electronic Arts Inc. on Thursday said chief financial and chief operating officer Blake Jorgensen plans to leave the company in the summer of next year and named Laura Miele to replace him as COO.

John Mackey, CEO of Amazon-owned grocer Whole Foods, will retire next year and step down from his role, the company announced Thursday.

Whole Foods’ current COO, Jason Buechel, will become the new CEO after Mackey’s retirement, the company said.

In the last few years, women’s advancement in the corporate workplace has taken multiple strides. Several bigger brands are increasing the representation of women on the Board of directors. It is quite motivating to see such a positive approach taking place globally as well as in India. However, various research shows that despite an increased presence of female employees in mid-management positions, boardroom positions continue to be mostly male-dominated.

Companies around the world are increasingly willing to link their borrowing costs to gender equality, as they face pressure to lift the number of women in management.

Japanese insurer Tokio Marine is parachuting in a top executive from the US to run the unit that was at the heart of its fraught relationship with Greensill Capital, the supply-chain finance group whose collapse unleashed a political and financial scandal.

The 2000s were about the supercycle. The 2020s are about supermayhem

Officials in China have vowed to ensure people are able to heat their homes this winter as the country grapples with a major power crunch.

Surging coal and gas prices, as well as rising demand for electricity amid a boom in exports has led to major power shortages across China, with more than half of all provinces reporting some limitations.

Virgin Atlantic, the British airline founded by billionaire Richard Branson, has delayed its plan to list until early 2022 to focus on the reopening of the transatlantic market, said a person familiar with the situation.

Sidley is pleased to share the September 2021 issue of Sidley Perspectives on M&A and Corporate Governance, a quarterly newsletter designed to keep you current on what we consider to be the most important legal developments involving M&A and corporate governance matters.